Night and Day: The Alpha Nomad

Preparing for the Harvest Feastival

Night -

I was running hopelessly from some unknown, unseen threat. I looked up and saw a golden red sun beaming down at me warming me with its rays. I approached Crescent Pond but the waters reflected a waxing gibbous moon. I gazed up again and the sun was still shining down on the clearing. I didn’t understand how the sun could be shining but the moon be reflecting off the pond.

While I was contemplating this bizarre situation I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see the hunter who was holding a rope around my neck, and the shorter chubby man with the knife. He came at me with the knife raised and I cried out. The man holding my rope raised a handgun towards the moon in the waters and c****d the gun ready to shoot.

The man fired, but a wolf leaped out from the brambles to intercept the bullet. He looked like Damon but his coat was a deeper red and had light golden ear tips and muzzle. He cried out after the bullet struck him and growled as he stumbled to the ground. The man readied his gun again and took aim for the moon in the waters. Why was he shooting at a reflection? He shot the moon and the clearing grew dim. The sun disappeared and now there was no moon to illuminate the clearing.

I completely forgot about the knife wielding man, and only noticed him as he thrust his knife into my side. I howled our in agony as I dropped to the ground. I looked up and the sun shone right over my head.

“Please don’t leave me…” I heard Damon plead.

“Please fight this, please don’t leave me,” Damon sounded closer and clearer than before.

Everything hurt, but especially my side where the hunter had stabbed me. I felt a warmth surrounding my right hand and intense sparks ran up that arm. I felt this deep seeded feeling of worry and anxiety but wasn’t sure where it was coming from. I winced and groaned as I woke up and tried to use my left arm to support myself into a sitting position.

Relief flooded my body then I heard Damon exclaim, “Night you’re awake! Thank the Goddess!”

I opened my eyes and my heart began to race. The room looked like the bedroom back at my old pack house. I winced as I tried to scramble out of the bed and run out of the room.

“Please, try not to move you are still healing,” Damon urged as he gently pushed me back into the bed.

“I feel much better,” I tried to convince Damon so he would let me go but a sharp pain shot through my left shoulder as I pushed myself up.

“I don’t believe you, just take it easy,” Damon insisted. “I promise no one will hurt you. You are safe here at the pack house.”

As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings I realized it wasn’t my pack house. The walls were a pale blue, not the periwinkle painted walls of my room. The images of a young girl’s toys and boy band posters faded from view. The bed I was in no longer looked like it was owned by an 8 year old, it was more reminiscent of a hospital bed. My heart began to calm down and I relaxed into the bed more.

“I’m sorry, I must have had a bad dream,” I confessed.

Damon reached up to stroke my hair out of my face. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his gentle touches. He had a calming aura which made me relax even further. Damon was alone with me in this recovery room, but I heard footsteps approach which made my heart jump slightly.

The door opened and I tensed up, “how’s our patient today, Young Alpha?” An elderly man entered the room and inquired. “I see the mysterious she-wolf has finally awakened. You’ve been out for nearly a week. I’m Doctor Galen, let’s see how your healing is progressing.”

I nodded silently as the doctor lifted the bedsheet to examine my puncture wound. He palpated it gently which caused me to grimace. His brow furled in a concerned scowl and he hummed, “interesting. You are a very lucky pup you know that? If it weren’t for Damon you probably would have died. He gave his blood to save you, and normally that would cause adverse reactions but you seem to be healing quickly despite the pain you may feel. Maybe it’s because he is an Alpha and his blood felt the need to protect you, or there could be another explanation,” I noticed Damon glare at the doctor. “Either way you should be on your feet in no time. As far as your bullet wound, I was unable to remove the bullet from your shoulder. I did not want to risk any further blood loss at that time, but it shouldn’t bother you much.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of me, I promise I won’t be a burden for much longer,” I promised.

Damon looked hurt when I said this, “you won’t stay? At least stay for the Harvest Feast tomorrow night. We can feed you a nice meal, you can go for a run with us, if you’re feeling up to it, and if you still want to leave I won’t say another word about it.”

My heart was torn. Should I stay and get to know Damon and his pack better, or leave before I get attached? I don’t know if I could handle Damon rejecting me, although I have no reason to believe he will. How could his pack accept a rogue as their future Alpha’s mate?

“I guess if it’s a free meal,” I grinned slyly.

“Hah, that’s my girl,” Damon laughed then blushed after realizing what he said. “I mean…”

“Oh don’t worry, Loverboy,” Doctor Galen chuckled. “I had my suspicions when you donated your blood to her. Consider it doctor-patient privilege, I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to.”

My mouth dropped and perhaps what the doctor said earlier didn’t really sink in until now, “Wait, you did what?!”

“I couldn’t let you die!” Damon confessed defensively. “What else was I supposed to do?”

I considered this for a moment. I appreciate his valiant effort to save me, but I struggled with thought. What if we hadn’t been mates, would I have rejected his blood? What is going to happen to me now that I have a piece of him inside of me? My heart began to race in irritation, but I felt a wave of shame fill my core.

As if the doctor heard my thoughts he answered, “With his blood inside your veins, you will heal exponentially faster; however, you will feel this overwhelming sense of attraction to Damon. There may even be other effects to this type of transfusion. I must be honest I don’t have much experience with transfusing mate blood, but I imagine it’s effects will be similar to Marking. The fact that he could sense your terror and locate you when you were attacked before ever mating with you is honestly incredible, even for an Alpha bond.”

My eyes widened when I heard Damon plead in my head, Please don’t hate me, Night.

How can I hear you in my head? You haven’t mated or marked me? I questioned him via link.

He looked startled at first but responded, You heard Doctor Galen. The effects may be similar to Marking now that you have a piece of me in my veins.

What if this isn’t what I wanted? I glared at him seriously.

“So what you wanted me to watch you die?!” He growled. “How could I ignore your cries? How could I pretend I couldn’t feel your panic and pain?! I’m not sorry for saving you, Night!”

Tears threatened to leak through my impenetrable emotional wall. I don’t know if I could have done anything differently had I been in his shoes. I couldn’t let him die at the hands of those hunters any more than he could have watched me die. I remember the terror I felt when they tightened the rope around his neck and felt ashamed for yelling at him, even if it was only through the mind link. I looked up at him with teary apologetic eyes.

“I forgive you, Nightingale, I could never stay mad at you,” he spoke softly to me as he brushed my cheek with the palm of his hand. “I was terrified when I brought you back home in your wolf form. Not because I didn’t want to explain it to my parents, but because I thought you were dead. You were so cold, and pale…”

“Day, I’m always pale,” I half smiled at him trying to lighten the mood.

“Seriously, Night, I almost lost you,” he touched his forehead to mine. “I almost lost you before I really got to know you.”

Doctor Galen excused himself from the room to give us some privacy. We barely noticed that he left the recovery room. Damon glanced around to make sure we were alone before he cupped my face in his hand and kissed me gently. A curative warmth surged through his lips into mine and I felt the pain from my wounds alleviate. It was as if they never happened as I leaned deeper into his kiss. I didn’t want this therapeutic feeling to end, but the door opened unexpectedly and an authoritative couple entered causing me to recoil from Damon. The male had deep red hair, much deeper than Damon’s golden red, which alarmed me and reminded me of my dream.

“So the little visitor who has captivated our son is feeling better?” His father asked with a raised brow then sniggered, “sorry if I interrupted anything, my son.”

The woman who had silvery golden hair like the moon frowned disapprovingly at her husband’s taunts, “Damon Honey, I am sure your…friend…is hungry and there is some lunch prepared in the kitchen would you be so kind as to fetch her a plate?”

Damon scowled at his mother, “Not if you want to berate her with questions. I won’t leave her, why don’t you have one of the omegas bring it up?”

His mother sighed, “We promise to go easy on her, Sweetie. She will still be here when you return. Please just give us a moment.”

I could feel Damon’s hesitation and he growled quietly. He obeyed his mother’s request and headed towards the door but looked back at me and linked with me, Let me know if I need to return. I won’t be far away.

I nodded at him and he closed the door behind him as he left. I let out a big sigh as his parents gave me a curious look. I’m sure they were wondering how their son could fall for a complete stranger. Or maybe they just didn’t understand or realize the extent of our bond yet. His father pulled up two chairs offering one to his mate before taking a seat in the other.

“So, what brings you into our territory?” He asked bluntly. “I haven’t heard word from the other packs or my own perimeter patrol about your presence, so I’m curious how you managed to sneak in.”

I was afraid to answer and to be quite honest I wasn’t entirely sure if the answer myself. “I’ve been traveling for a couple years now. I was headed west and discovered your ceremonial pond. I am so sorry that I endangered your pack with my carelessness.” I pleaded nearly in tears. “Please forgive me. I promise not to burden you or your pack for very long…”

“Sweet girl, you don’t have to apologize for those hunters,” the mother consoled me gently with nurturing eyes. “We don’t hold a grudge against you, we just want to know why a young girl like yourself would be traveling alone during the hunting season? We’ve lost too many good wolves to those vile creatures already.”

I was hesitant to answer her, “I- I was forced to become a rogue when I was 18.” This response generated a worrisome look from both parents. “I could not stay with my pack, or my Beta uncle, any longer.” I looked away in shame.

Surprisingly Damon’s parents seemed to understand, and Damon’s handsome father replied, “you are safe here, sweetie. You can stay here as long as you need to we will accommodate you and protect you if needed. I welcome you to be our guest at our Harvest Feast and enjoy the festivities.”

I relaxed immensely as Damon returned with a plate of intoxicatingly good smelling food. My mouth watered as he approached my bedside. My eyes widened at the bounty he carried, but lowered my head ashamed of my eagerness. The tray he carried contained pot roast with mashed potatoes with a gravy and peas smothered in butter. I can’t remember the last time I ate a real home cooked meal. The last cooked meats I ate were probably with Jake back in Maine. I stifled a whimper at Jake’s memory.

What’s wrong, my Nightingale? Damon linked with a worried look on his face.

Don’t worry, just thinking about a bad memory, I half smiled at him and began to dig into the food aggressively. I heard Damon’s mom giggled at my enthusiasm and could feel Damon’s dad’s concerned look.

…………………

Day-

Night slept soundly and restfully after I brought her lunch. She was clearly exhausted from her travels and the ordeal with the hunters. I stayed by her side despite my parents insisting that I leave her to get some rest of my own in preparation of the Harvest Feast, which was postponed during Night’s recovery. They couldn’t hold the Feast without me anyways and I refused to leave her side the entire time she healed.

“I will be fine here,” I insisted. “Thank you both for allowing her to stay for the Harvest Feast.”

“Son, I don’t think we could kick her out, even if we wanted to,” his father grinned with a wink. “I know you don’t want to tell us, but I can tell she means a lot to you. I would have ignored my own father if he forbade me from seeing your mother.”

A wave of embarrassment flooded over me as I blushed at this comment. I hadn’t told anyone about our bond but apparently it was very obvious to my parents and Doctor Galen. I guess my behavior hasn’t been very inconspicuous, and I have been overly protective of her.

“Rest well, my son, tomorrow is a big day for you,” my father clapped me on the back.

“Night, Dad,” I replied informally.

I watched Night sleep for a couple hours before I felt the overwhelming exhaustion set in. After realizing Night would be okay I could feel the effects of our ordeal hit me, but I needed to be awake for her. I laid my head on her lap as closed my eyes feeling comforted into a peaceful slumber by her presence.

……………………

The next morning I woke early to prepare for the Harvest Feast. The house was bustling with Omegas preparing and decorating while other pack members were milling around chatting. I grabbed a few chocolate croissants from a platter and received a disapproving frown from one of the Omegas helping out in the kitchen. I grinned devilishly at her and ran back up to the clinic’s recovery ward.

“Good morning!” I announced with a sing-song voice. “Rise and shine, my pretty princess.”

Night grumbled at me throwing the bedsheets over her face, “it’s way too early for this!”

“My Nightingale is not a morning person, I am shocked!” I retorted sarcastically. “You’ll miss all the fun if you don’t get out of bed and get ready.”

Night slowly lowered the covers and scowled at me, “I don’t have anything to get dressed into…”

I hadn’t even considered that, I smacked myself embarrassed for my careless remark. Surely we could find her something to wear between the pack families. In fact I’m sure Delphie would be able to lend her something. I grinned at Night and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Don’t you worry about that, I know the perfect person to help you get all dolled up,” I snickered.

I left her momentarily to retrieve Delphie. I found her fussing with her hair at her house down the street. She looked very pretty in her midnight blue knee length cocktail dress. It hugged her in all the right places, but she was like a sister to me so I didn’t stare for too long before announcing my presence.

“Hey, Fi, can I ask a favor of you?” I asked slyly. “I think you might enjoy this project, actually.”

“I’m just about finished here, Day, what’s up?” She asked curiously.

“Would you be opposed to helping me with a make over of sorts?” I inquired hesitantly.

“Day, I’ve been waiting for the day you asked me to give you a make over,” she spun around delightfully.

I laughed deeply, “no silly, the make over is for someone else. Do you have a dress to spare?”

She pondered over this then lit up, “I just might. Meet you at the pack house?”

“Yeah, up in the clinic’s recovery room,” I informed her.

She gave me a confused look but smiled and nodded. I returned to Night in the clinic and It wasn’t long before Delphie arrived with a oversized handbag full of make up and a dress bag. I introduced Delphie to Night, and was immediately shooed out of the room.

“We have a lot of work to do,” I heard ambition in Delphie’s voice as I was ushered out of the room.

It was around one o’clock in the afternoon before I heard Delphie descend the stairs with Night in tow. She was trying to encourage her to make an entrance from the bottom of the stairs but I heard and felt Night’s embarrassed reluctance to show herself. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Night was pretty rough from her travels the I first time I met her in the woods, and I could tell she was preferred her natural appearance. Eventually we coaxed her down the stairs. My eyes widened and a blush grew on my cheeks when I first saw her.

The dress Delphie picked out was perfect, even for her pale complexion. The dress was a deep amethyst purple color with jewels and sparkles that shone like a full moon. It wasn’t extremely tight on her but her curves looked perfect. Her jet-black hair flowed down her shoulders in rivers of curls and a bright red lipstick popped on her pouty lips. Her stormy loud grey eyes popped with the deep blue and silvery eye make up that Delphie chose for her.

Night noticed me staring and linked to me, I look ridiculous. I feel so unnatural in all of this.

“Night you look spectacular, Delphie outdid herself,” I complimented.

“Holy smokes!” I heard Fen approach behind me which caused an uncharacteristically jealous growl loose. “Delphie, you are the most beautiful woman in the room tonight!”

I relaxed a little when I heard him finish his sentence. I should have known he only had eyes for Delphie, but my eyes were drawn to Night. All afternoon I couldn’t help but state at her wondrously. I can’t believe she’s my True Mate, I’m the luckiest Alpha in existence.

It was nearly sunset when my father announced the beginning of the Harvest Feast.